THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  ILLINOIS 

LIBRARY 

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♦his  book  on  or  before  the 
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UniversityoTU^li™ 


L161-H41 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS  BULLETIN 

Issued  Weekly 
Vol.  XXIV  November  30,  1926  No.  13 

[Entered  as  second-class  matter  December  11,  1912,  at  the  post  office  at  Urbana,  Illinois,  under  the 
Act  of  August  24,  1912.  Acceptance  for  mailing  at  the  special  rate  of  postage  provided  for  in 
section    1103,  Act  of  October   3,    1917,   authorized  July  31,    1918.] 

EDUCATIONAL  RESEARCH  CIRCULAR  NO.  47 


BUREAU  OF  EDUCATIONAL  RESEARCH 
COLLEGE  OF  EDUCATION 


INSTRUCTIONAL  ACTIVITIES  IN  THE 
UNIVERSITY  HIGH  SCHOOL 

By 

Donald  R.  Alter 
Genevieve  Duguid 
Walter  R.  Kukets 

LlESETTE   J.  McHARRY 

-^S.  Helen  Taylor 

Anne  Thomsen 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

1.  A  Representative  Assembly  at  the  Univer- 

sity High  School 3 

By  Donald  R.  Ater 

2.  The  Book  Club 6 

By  Genevieve  Duguid 

3.  Developmental  Recitation  in  General 

Science 12 

By  Walter  R.  Kukets 

4.  An  Experiment  in  the  Teaching  of  English 

Literature 18 

By  Liesette  J.  McHarry 

5.  Timed  Tests  as  a  Method  of  Drill  in 

Algebra 22 

By  S.  Helen  Taylor 

6.  A  Mathematics   Assembly 27 

By  Anne  Thomsen 


A  REPRESENTATIVE  ASSEMBLY  AT  THE 
UNIVERSITY  HIGH  SCHOOL 

Donald  R.  Alter 

On  the  first  Monday  in  December,  1925,  the  Sixty-ninth  Congress 
of  the  United  States  met  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  on  the  same  day 
the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  Sixty-eighth  Congress  re-assembled 
at  the  University  High  School,  Urbana,  Illinois.  The  members  were 
high  school  pupils,  who  took  their  places  in  the  assembly  to  reproduce 
the  opening  of  the  House  of  Representatives  as  it  had  occurred  two 
years  before.  The  large  majority  of  the  pupils  knew  nothing  of  the 
plans  before  arriving  on  the  scene,  but  all  seemed  to  enter  into  the  spirit 
of  the  occasion  readily  enough. 

The  success  of  the  assembly  depended  largely  upon  a  class  in  ad- 
vanced civics,  fifteen  in  number,  who  were  to  be  the  really  active  par- 
ticipants in  the  work.  The  only  discrimination  shown  in  assigning  parts 
was  based  upon  actual  ability  to  perform.  Of  the  fifteen  members  of 
the  class,  three  were  girls,  and  each  was  given  a  rather  important  part. 

One  of  the  girls  took  the  part  of  Mr.  Rainey,  of  Illinois.  Under 
this  name  she  was  in  charge  of  nominating  the  Democratic  candidate 
for  speaker.  She  also  took  part  in  a  spirited  discussion  on  the  right  of 
Mr.  Miller,  also  of  Illinois,  to  a  seat  in  the  House.  This  same  argument 
afforded  an  opportunity  for  a  second  girl.  She,  as  Mr.  Snell,  ably  sup- 
ported the  newly  elected  Speaker  in  his  decisions  or  procedure.  The 
third  girl  was  none  other  than  the  Republican  leader,  Mr.  Nicholas 
Longworth,  of  Ohio. 

Among  the  boys,  the  most  important  positions  were,  of  course, 
those  of  the  Clerk  of  the  last  House,  Mr.  Page,  and  of  the  new  Speaker, 
Mr.  Gillett.  Other  important  parts  were  taken  by  the  boys  who  imper- 
sonated: Mr.  Garrett,  defeated  democratic  candidate  for  Speaker;  Mr. 
Madden,  also  a  candidate;  the  Reverend  James  Shera  Montgomery, 
Chaplain  of  the  House;  and  Mr.  Greene,  the  "Father  of  the  House." 
The  other  boys,  under  various  names,  found  duties  enough  in  nominat- 
ing candidates,  submitting  resolutions,  and  similar  activities.  Perhaps 
the  most  difficult  position  of  all  was  that  of  Mr.  Miller,  the  silent  object 
of  considerable  argument. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  remaining  members  of  the 
student  gathering  were  wholly  inactive.  A  rather  large  number  took 
minor  parts  given  to  them  on  slips  of  paper  as  they  entered  the  door. 

[3] 


Twenty-two  of  them,  for  example,  answered  to  names  in  the  roll-call, 
and  voted  for  the  Speaker  as  instructed.  Four  others  were  tellers  in 
the  election,  and  a  tiny  Freshman,  in  long  trousers,  acted  as  page. 

Naturally  enough,  there  were  a  number  of  places  in  the  program 
where  it  was  necessary  to  depart  from  the  actual  happenings  of  the 
Sixty-eighth  House.  Much  useless  argument  had  to  be  eliminated  and 
most  of  the  speeches  cut.  In  the  roll-call  and  voting  it  was  impossible 
to  go  through  a  list  of  435  names,  so  it  was  decided  to  call  only  those 
from  Alabama,  the  first  state,  and  Wisconsin  and  Wyoming,  the  last 
two.  This  occasioned  some  laughter  when  the  Clerk  announced  that 
416  members  had  responded,  after  he  had  called  only  22  names.  Still 
it  did  not  seriously  detract  from  the  success  of  the  effort.  In  the  election 
of  a  Speaker,  it  will  be  remembered  that  it  actually  took  the  Sixty- 
eighth  House  several  days  and  numerous  ballots  to  accomplish  it.  In 
the  reproduction  it  had  to  be  done  with  one  ballot,  and  a  short  one  at 
that.  Despite  these  inaccuracies,  however,  it  will  be  seen  from  the  fol- 
lowing program  that  enough  of  the  actual  activities  of  the  House  were 
reproduced  to  render  the  assembly  instructive  as  well  as  entertaining. 

1.  William  Tyler  Page,  Clerk  of  the  Last  House,  called  the  House 

to  order. 

2.  Rev.  James  Shera  Montgomery,  Chaplain  of  the  last  House, 

offered  prayer. 

3.  Page  made  introductory  speech,  concluding  with  the  roll-call. 

4.  Page  added  announcments  concerning  delegates  from  Alaska 
and  Hawaii,  and  commissioners  from  the  Philippines.  He  also 
read  a  resolution  sent  from  the  state  legislature  of  Texas. 

5.  Page  opened  nominations  for  Speaker. 

6.  Anderson  nominated  Gillett. 

7.  Rainey  nominated  Garrett. 

8.  Browne  nominated  Cooper. 

9.  Reid  nominated  Madden. 

10.  Madden  arose  and  disclaimed  his  candidacy. 

11.  Page  enumerated  the  candidates  and  asked  four  members  to 

act  as  tellers.   He  then  called  the  roll  by  states  for  the  voting. 

12.  Browne  interrupted  with  a  pertinent  question  about  voting  be- 

fore being  sworn  in.   Page  answered. 

13.  Page  announced  the  election  of  Gillett  and  called  upon  a  com- 

mittee to  escort  him  to  the  chair. 

14.  Garrett,    defeated    candidate,    introduced    the    newly-elected 

Speaker. 

15.  Gillett  made  his  speech,  concluding  with,  "I  am  now  ready  to 
take  the  oath  of  office." 

[4] 


16.  Greene,  the  "Father  of  the  House,"  administered  the  oath  of 

office  to  the  Speaker. 

17.  Gillett  called  the  members  to  take  the  oath.    A  few  came  for- 

ward at  a  time. 

18.  Rainey  disputed  the  right  of  Miller  to  take  the  oath  of  office. 

19.  Rainey,  Madden,  Gillett,  Snell,  and  Britten  took  part  in  the 

argument  which  followed.  Miller  and  another  member  were 
forced  to  stand  aside  until  the  other  members  were  sworn  in. 

20.  Anderson  presented  resolution,  read  by  clerk,  nominating  can- 

didates for  all  other  offices. 

21.  Rainey  presented  a  substitute  resolution,  and  asked  unanimous 

consent  to  a  separation  of  the  resolution  just  read.  This  was 
in  order  that  the  Rev.  Montgomery  might  be  elected  Chaplain 
unanimously.   The  House  agreed. 

22.  Rainey  then  presented  his  substitute  resolution  with  candidates 

for  the  other  offices. 

23.  The  substitute  resolution  failed,  the  House  agreeing  to  Ander- 

son's resolution. 

24.  Longworth  asked  unanimous  consent  to  speak  for  two  min- 

utes. He  received  the  consent  of  the  House,  and  spent  the  time 
in  eulogizing  Garrett.  This  was  a  fair  return  for  Garrett's 
praise  of  Gillett. 

25.  Green,  of  Iowa,  submitted  a  resolution,  read  by  the  Clerk,  that 

notification  be  sent  to  the  Senate.  The  House  agreed. 

26.  Longworth  submitted  a  resolution,  read  by  the  Clerk,  that  a 

committee  be  sent  to  join  with  a  committee  from  the  Senate 
to  inform  the  President  that  the  Congress  was  ready  to  receive 
communications  from  him.  The  House  agreed. 

27.  Gillett  appointed  the  Committee. 

28.  Longworth  moved  adjournment. 

It  would  hardly  be  fair  to  discuss  this  program,  noting  only  its 
success.  One  or  two  failures  stood  out  rather  prominently.  The  chief 
of  these  was  in  the  matter  of  time.  It  had  been  estimated  that  the  action 
would  last  for  forty  minutes,  but  so  smoothly  did  the  pupils  perform 
their  tasks  that  the  entire  course  of  events  took  only  thirty.  This  left 
some  ten  minutes  uncared  for.  Then  the  smoothness  itself  was  scarcely 
a  true  representation  of  the  activities  of  our  national  lower  house.  Still 
these  failures  may  be  pardoned.  Judged  from  other  standpoints,  such 
as  that  of  interest  aroused  in  the  student  body,  that  of  performance  of 
those  taking  part,  and  that  of  instructive  value,  the  effort  may  well  be 
pronounced  a  success. 

[5] 


THE  BOOK  CLUB 

Genevieve  Duguid 

In  order  to  stimulate  interest  in  reading,  a  book  club  has  been 
organized  in  one  of  the  Freshman  English  classes  at  the  University 
High  School.  Two  days  of  each  week,  in  place  of  the  usual  recitation, 
the  members  of  the  class  assume  the  responsibility  of  conducting  a  dis- 
cussion of  the  books  and  authors  which  they  become  acquainted  with 
through  their  supplementary  reading. 

This  club  has  been  from  the  time  of  its  organization  of  great  inter- 
est to  the  members  of  the  class.  Although  the  pupils  agree  that  it  in- 
variably takes  more  time  to  prepare  for  the  club  meeting  than  for  the 
English  class,  they  are  enthusiastic  about  it.  It  is  unusual  for  any 
member  to  fail  in  doing  his  share  of  the  club  work.  No  one  ever  refuses 
to  serve  on  any  committee,  and  the  pupils  always  do  the  work  assigned 
to  them  by  those  in  charge. 

Our  club  elects  its  officers  for  a  term  of  one  semester.  Each  week 
the  president  appoints  one  committee  to  take  charge  of  the  program 
and  a  second  to  select  material  for  the  bulletin  board.  The  teacher 
approves  the  committees  in  order  that  she  may  see  that  the  work  is 
fairly  distributed  among  the  members  of  the  group.  The  chairman  of 
the  program  committee  announces  the  plans  several  days  before  the 
book  club  is  to  meet,  in  order  that  the  pupils  may  have  ample  time  for 
preparation. 

A  few  of  the  meetings  that  have  been  planned  and  given  by  our 
first  year  pupils  are  described  here  in  detail.  One  of  the  first  meetings 
we  called  "Magazine  Day."  Each  pupil  brought  his  favorite  magazine 
and  spent  a  few  minutes  advertising  it  to  the  club.  Many  types  of 
periodicals  were  represented  in  the  class  room,  from  Youth's  Companion 
and  St.  Nicholas  to  the  Atlantic  Monthly.  The  members  of  the  club 
discussed  briefly  those  magazines  which  are  consistently  good  and  those 
that  only  occasionally  include  something  worth  while.  They  concluded 
that  they  would  have  greater  interest  in  magazine  reading  if  they  had 
help  in  choosing  what  they  would  enjoy.  As  an  outgrowth  of  this  dis- 
cussion, we  had  on  our  bulletin  board  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  a 
''Worth  Reading"  poster  on  which  each  pupil  could  place  titles  of  arti- 
cles in  recent  periodicals  which  he  had  found  enjoyable.  This  little 
guide  to  reading  seemed  to  function  in  leading  the  pupils  to  read  more 
widely  as  well  as  to  read  from  better  magazines. 

[6] 


Frequently,  the  pupils  chose  to  spend  the  hour  in  the  study  of  the 
work  of  one  author.  In  preparation  each  person  read  from  that  writer 
and  came  to  club  ready  to  contribute  something  of  interest.  Perhaps 
he  talked  about  a  topic  related  to  the  author's  life  or  work.  Perhaps 
the  student  brought  to  the  meeting  a  good  selection  to  read  aloud,  or 
groups  planned  to  dramatize  or  pantomime  a  favorite  incident.  A  more 
ambitious  student  might  have  chosen  to  memorize  selections  from 
his  reading.  Whatever  the  contributions  were,  the  meeting  invariably 
created  interest  in  the  work  of  the  author  discussed. 

At  one  meeting  the  members  of  the  club  impersonated  book  char- 
acters. Each,  by  a  characteristic  bit  of  dialogue  or  pantomime,  repre- 
sented some  favorite  character.  The  other  members  of  the  club  were 
quick  to  recognize  such  book  people  as  John  Silver,  Tiny  Tim,  Ramona, 
and  Silas  Marner.  Any  form  of  dramatization  was  thoroughly  enjoyed 
by  this  group.  Scenes  of  plays  or  parts  of  stories,  especially  parts  that 
may  arouse  interest  in  reading  the  whole,  were  dramatized  at  club 
meetings. 

The  students  very  frequently  chose  to  relate  their  club  program  to 
the  class  work  of  the  week.  For  example,  while  we  were  studying  the 
Odyssey  the  club  dramatized  the  meeting  of  the  gods  on  Mount  Olym- 
pus. Each  member  impersonated  some  god  or  goddess.  The  council 
was,  of  course,  presided  over  by  Zeus.  At  roll  call  each  god  answered 
to  either  his  Roman  or  Greek  name.  He  recited  to  the  council  those 
adventures  for  which  he  had  become  famous  and  those  peculiar  quali- 
ties which  he  possessed.  Sometimes  some  bit  of  costume,  as  the  wings 
on  the  heels  of  Mercury,  helped  in  the  impersonation  of  the  god.  At 
other  times  the  club  had  chosen  to  spend  the  hour  with  some  game  or 
contest  which  would  serve  the  purpose  of  a  review  of  books  recently 
studied  in  class.  Much  interest  at  one  time  was  aroused  in  book  and 
author  cross-word  puzzles.  The  students  enjoyed  conducting  a  review 
as  a  "spell-down,"  or  dividing  into  groups  and,  on  the  blackboard,  keep- 
ing score  of  the  correct  answers  from  each  group. 

Occasionally  the  club  invited  visitors  to  have  a  part  in  their  meet- 
ings. The  librarian  used  this  opportunity  to  give  the  group  instruction 
in  the  use  of  the  library  and  in  the  care  of  books.  We  had  at  one  meet- 
ing a  splendid  lecture  on  book  illustrators.  During  one  hour  we  listened 
to  poetry  selected  and  read  by  one  of  the  University  professors.  Almost 
without  exception,  however,  the  pupils  took  entire  charge  of  their  club 
work.  In  addition  to  planning  the  program,  provision  was  always  made 
for  the  selection  of  material  for  the  bulletin  board.  A  committee  col- 
lected pictures  related  to  the  work  of  the  day,  sometimes  members  of 

[7] 


this  committee  made  attractive  posters  advertising  books,  or  posters  in 
the  form  of  puzzles  to  test  the  book  knowledge  of  the  class.  The  mak- 
ing of  plans  for  the  bulletin  board  offered  as  great  a  test  of  the  origi- 
nality of  the  student  as  did  the  planning  for  a  program  and,  as  well, 
gave  an  opportunity  to  the  pupil  with  artistic  talent  to  contribute  some- 
thing really  good. 

The  members  of  our  club  became  very  interested  in  the  making  of 
scrap  books.  In  them  they  recorded  the  title  and  author  of  each  book 
as  it  was  read.  If  possible,  they  found  a  picture  suggestive  of  the  story. 
They  collected  pictures  of  authors,  of  places  associated  with  familiar 
writers,  interesting  clippings  about  books  from  newspapers  and  maga- 
zines, in  fact,  anything  related  to  reading  which  seemed  to  them  of 
interest  or  value.  A  few  of  the  pupils  made  collections  of  advertisements 
which  alluded  to  literature;  many  collected  book  plates;  some  became 
enthusiastic  over  securing  autographs  of  authors.  They  were  successful 
in  obtaining  several  autographs  of  unusual  interest.  Among  others, 
Amy  Lowell,  Owen  Wister,  Henry  Van  Dyke,  and  Edward  Bok  were 
considerate  enough  to  reply  to  their  letters.  They  secured  from  various 
publishing  houses  much  fairly  valuable  biographical  material  about 
living  authors.  The  scrap  books  were  brought  regularly  to  meetings  of 
the  club  and  used  as  notebooks  for  recording  material  brought  in  by 
others.  Each  pupil  reserved  a  page  for  a  list  of  books  which  he  wished 
sometime  to  read.  The  completed  scrap  books  had  been  made  very 
attractive  in  appearance  and  many  of  them  contained  material  of  value 
for  reference.  The  collection  of  material  for  a  scrap  book  and  the  com- 
parison of  it  with  those  of  others  in  the  club  seemed  to  heighten  interest 
in  reading,  to  broaden  their  funds  of  literary  knowledge,  and  to  acquaint 
the  student  with  some  of  the  good  sources  of  finding  material  about 
books. 

One  of  the  more  recent  activities  of  the  club  was  prompted  by  a 
suggestion  that  it  should  do  something  which  would  function  in  arous- 
ing greater  interest  in  books  among  other  students  in  the  school.  They 
asked  for  the  use  of  a  rack  in  the  high  school  library  where  each  week 
they  might  display  a  small  collection  of  books  for  recreational  reading. 
Above  the  rack  they  placed  a  poster  telling  other  students  that  those 
books  were  recommended  by  their  club.  Each  week  the  president  ap- 
pointed a  committee  of  three  to  make  a  selection  of  books  for  this  rack. 
They  were  careful  to  choose  books  of  a  variety  of  types.  Usually  about 
one-third  of  the  books  selected  were  fiction;  the  other  books  were 
chosen  from  biography,  poetry,  drama,  travel  books,  and  essays.  This 
plan  served  to  attract  some  attention  to  both  the  club  and  to  the  books. 

[8] 


However,  should  other  students  of  the  school  give  little  notice  to  the 
selection,  the  process  of  choosing  the  books  is  probably  useful  in  that 
it  familiarizes  the  student  with  the  library,  and  arouses  discussions 
outside  the  classroom  of  the  relative  merit  and  interest  of  books.  Each 
person  ki  the  club  has  served  at  some  time  on  this  committee.  The 
choice  of  books  has  always  been  made  without  the  help  of  the  librarian 
or  teacher.  The  students  seemed  to  make  rather  rapid  progress  in  the 
ability  to  make  a  good  choice  of  books. 

In  as  much  as  our  club  has  been  organized  but  one  year,  it  makes 
no  claims  to  great  accomplishments.  However,  the  pupils  without  ex- 
ception look  forward  to  book-club  day,  partly  because  it  gives  them  a 
change  from  the  regular  work  and  partly  because  they  enjoy  talking 
about  books.  They  are  reading  much  and  apparently  developing  tastes 
for  better  reading.  I  see  no  reason  why  it  may  not  become  a  much 
greater  positive  benefit  to  its  members. 

This  general  plan  of  organization  of  the  English  class  may  be 
varied  in  any  number  of  ways.  The  work  of  the  club  must  of  necessity 
be  planned  to  meet  the  individual  needs  of  a  group.  Only  because  this 
plan  seems  easily  adapted  to  meet  a  variety  of  situations  does  it  seem 
worth  while  to  pass  it  on  to  others. 

Without  exception,  the  students  said  that  they  were  eager  that  the 
club  continue  because  they  believed  it  worth  while.  A  few  of  the  typical 
comments  were  as  follows: 

"I  am  always  waiting  for  book-club  day  to  come  round.  I  am 
learning  to  speak  better  and  am  more  at  ease.  I  am  sure  that  it  is  help- 
ing everyone  in  these  respects." 

"In  the  first  place,  Book  Club  is  something  different  from  the 
everyday  English  class.  It  is  a  sort  of  recreation  although  it  takes  as 
much,  or  more,  time  to  prepare  for  it  as  for  the  regular  English  lesson. 
There  is  always  something  new  to  learn  about  books  and  authors." 

"I  have  always  liked  Book  Club,  because  it  interests  me  in  books 
I  have  not  known  before." 

"The  club  has  given  us  practice  in  dramatization  and  in  expressing 
ourselves  by  pantomime  and  speech.  The  reports  on  books  have  stimu- 
lated pur  interest  so  that  we  read  poetry  and  books  we  have  never 
heard  of  before — and  enjoy  them.  It  has  also  helped  us  in  the  selection 
of  books.  We  know  the  best  authors  and  the  type  of  their  works  so  that 
we  are  able  to  choose  a  book  or  story  for  any  mood." 

A  few  typical  programs  which  have  been  planned  and  presented 
by  our  club  might  be  of  some  interest.  While  the  class  was  studying 
Julius  Caesar  the  committee  thought  it  appropriate  to  have  a  "Shakes- 

[9] 


peare  day."  They  first  assigned  topics  for  discussion  to  various  mem- 
bers of  the  class.  The  librarian  and  the  teacher  made  suggestions  to  the 
committee  regarding  useful  reference  material  to  which  they  could  refer 
the  group.  On  the  day  of  the  club  meeting,  the  chairman  called  on 
those  people  to  whom  topics  had  been  assigned  to  stand  before  the 
class  and,  as  they  chose  to  express  it,  "make  their  speeches."  For 
"Shakespeare  Day"  these  topics  were  assigned: 

"The  story  of  Shakespeare's  life." 

"The  Shakespeare  country."  (This  discussion  was  illustrated  with 
pictures  from  a  copy  of  the  Mentor  magazine.  The  illustrative 
material  was  posted  on  the  bulletin  board  before  time  for  the 
club  meeting.) 

"The  theatre  of  Shakespeare's  day." 

"A  typical  audience  in  an  Elizabethan  theatre." 

"Boy  actors  in  the  time  of  Shakespeare." 

Following  these  discussions  another  group  dramatized  a  scene  from 
Julius  Caesar.  They  attempted  to  present  it  as  they  believed  it  might 
have  been  given  in  the  day  of  Shakespeare.  One  student  who  had  read 
rather  widely  told  the  club  about  books  of  fiction  "which  give  interesting 
pictures  of  English  life  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  We  found 
that  the  music  department  had  a  few  Victrola  records  of  Shakespearian 
songs.  The  playing  of  such  lyrics  as  "Blow,  blow  thou  winter  wind" 
and  "Who  is  Sylvia?"  added  interest  and  aroused  appreciation.  The 
program  was  concluded  with  the  recitation  of  a  Shakespeare  sonnet, 
"When  in  disgrace  with  Fortune  and  men's  eyes."  Following  the  pro- 
gram the  members  of  the  club  stood  in  line  and  repeated  titles  of 
Shakespeare's  plays.  Each  person  attempted  to  repeat  in  order  those 
already  named  and  to  add  one  new  title.  The  person  who  failed  was, 
of  course,  forced  to  drop  out  of  line.  This  game  was  effective  in  helping 
the  group  to  learn  titles  as  well  as  in  providing  drill  in  the  correct  pro- 
nunciation of  those  which  are  difficult.  This  program  occupied  two 
days  and  afforded  an  opportunity  for  a  contribution  from  each  student 
in  the  club. 

A  meeting  of  a  different  type  is  illustrated  by  the  following  pro- 
gram on  the  general  topic  of  the  making  of  books: 

1.  Picture  writing. 

2.  Reading  of  the  Kipling  poem,  "The  Story  of  Ung." 

3.  The  manuscript  book. 

4.  The  first  printed  books. 

5.  Book-making  today   (a  report  from  a  committee  of  boys  who 

had  visited  a  local  printing  shop). 

[10] 


6.  The  care  of  books  (brief  talk  by  the  librarian). 
The   following   program   created    much   interest   in   the   books    of 
Mark  Twain: 

1.  Mark  Twain's  boyhood. 

2.  Later  life  of  Mark  Twain. 

3.  A  visit  to  the  country  in  which  Mark  Twain  spent  his  youth. 

4.  The  originals  of  the  characters  of  his  books. 

5.  Some  samples  of  Mark  Twain's  humor  (quoted  or  read). 

6.  Review  of  Joan  of  Arc. 

7.  Volunteer  comments  on  favorite  Mark  Twain  stories. 

8.  Dramatization  of  one  chapter  from    Tom  Sawyer    (how  Tom 

Sawyer  whitewashed  the  fence). 
From  our  experience  with  the  book  club  it  is  apparent  that  much 
may  be  gained  through  such  an  organization  in  broadening  acquaintance 
with  good  books  and  in  stimulating  interest  in  reading  for  recreation. 
That  the  students  in  this  group  are  reading  widely  without  the  pressure 
of  a  "reading  requirement"  may  not  be  entirely  due  to  their  interest  in 
the  club.  A  book  list  such  as  that  of  Miss  Essie  Chamberlain  and  Miss 
Bertha  Carter's  "Annotated  Guide  to  Reading"  can  scarcely  fail  not 
only  in  attracting  students  to  books,  but  in  attracting  each  individual 
student  to  the  book  which  he  will  most  enjoy.  However,  if  a  book  club 
can  give  some  stimulus  to  reading  and  at  the  same  time  afford  the  stu- 
dent an  opportunity  to  develop  his  originality,  his  initiative,  and  his 
ability  in  oral  expression  and  interpretation,  it  might  be  well  worth 
trying  in  any  school. 


[11] 


DEVELOPMENTAL  RECITATION  IN  GENERAL  SCIENCE 

Walter  R.  Kukets 

In  the  teaching  of  general  science,  it  sometimes  happens  that  a 
pupil  will  ask,  at  the  beginning  of  the  class  period,  a  question  which 
will  upset,  or  at  least  change,  the  regular  plans  of  the  teacher  for  that 
particular  recitation.  Especially,  is  it  true,  if  this  question  is  of  a  kind 
which  may  lead  to  fruitful  results  if  followed  out  to  its  final  conclusion. 
Such  a  question  was  asked,  and  it  led  to  the  development  of  the  follow- 
ing recitation.  Consequently,  this  recitation  differs  from  the  ordinary 
recitation  in  that  the  pupils  had  made  no  previous  preparation,  and  it 
was  based  entirely  on  their  experience. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  recitation  period  one  of  the  pupils  asked 
the  following  question:  "Has  the  moon  an  orbit  around  the  orbit  of 
the  earth  or  around  the  earth  itself?"  It  was  evident  to  the  teacher  that 
by  working  with  this  question  it  would  be  possible  to  turn  out  enough 
subordinate  questions  and  points  to  meet  the  following  general  science 
aims: 

A.  To  show  the  relationship  between  the  sun,  moon,  and  the  earth. 

B.  To  show  the  position  that  these  three  bodies  must  occupy  in 

the  universe  in  order  to  have  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  and  of  the 
moon. 

C.  To  explain  the  following  related  phenomena: 

a.  The  seasons,  night  and  day. 

b.  Circumference  of  the  earth's  orbit. 

The  teacher  suggested  to  the  members  of  the  class  that  they  write 
on  the  black  board  some  of  the  things  they  knew  concerning  the  sun, 
moon,  and  the  earth.  The  following  information  was  furnished  by  the 
pupils,  representing  the  sum  total  of  their  knowledge  of  the  subject 
matter: 

1.  Most  of  the  pupils  had  seen  an  eclipse  of  the  sun. 

2.  Few  had  seen  an  eclipse  of  the  moon. 

3.  All  were  familiar  with  night  and  day,  and  the  seasons. 

4.  One  pupil  had  heard  of  gravity. 

5.  Three  pupils  stated  that  there  was  another  force  which  held 

the  universe  together,  and  that  this  force  was  called  gravitation. 

6.  All  pupils  stated  that  an  ordinary  year  contained  three  hun- 

dred and  sixty-five  days. 

[12] 


7.  Two  pupils  stated  that  every  four  years  there  was  a  year  which 

had  three  hundred  and  sixty-six  days,  and  that  this  year  was 
called  leap  year. 

8.  Some  stated  that  the  sun  and  the  moon  had  some  influence  on 
the  tides. 

9.  One    pupil    stated   that   the    circumference    of   the    earth   was 

twenty-five  thousand  miles. 
10.  One  pupil  stated  that  the  earth  moved  on  its  orbit,  and  that 

the  turning  of  the  earth  and  the  inclination  of  the  earth's  axis 

produced  our  days  and  nights,  and  seasons. 
Using  these  ten  statements  as  a  basis  for  future  developments,  we 
turned  our  attention  to  the  answering  of  the  above  mentioned  question. 
We  had  to  derive  some  definite  statements  regarding  the  location  in 
space  of  the  three  bodies.  "What  must  be  the  relation  between  the 
three  bodies,  class?"  One  pupil  stated  that  the  earth  had  an  orbit  and 
that  it  traveled  along  this  orbit.  He  volunteered  to  make  a  diagram  on 
the  black  board,  showing  this  relationship. 

DIAGRAM  I 


His  diagram  showed  the  orbit  of  the  earth;  around  this  orbit  there 
was  another  orbit  larger  than  that  of  the  earth's  along  which  the  moon 
was  supposed  to  travel.    The  sun  was  in  the  center  of  the  diagram. 

This  diagram  gave  us  some  idea  of  the  relative  locations  of  the 
three  bodies  in  space  and  the  only  thing  we  had  to  do  was  to  discover 
some  means  for  determining  whether  or  not  this  diagram  represented 
the  true  state  of  affairs.  The  following  question  was  asked:  "Would  it 
be  possible  to  have  an  eclipse  of  the  moon  if  this  diagram  represented 
the  true  conditions?"  One  pupil  stated  that  in  order  to  have  an  eclipse 
of  the  moon  something  must  come  in  between  the  moon  and  the  sun. 
"What  must  this  something  be?"  One  pupil  suggested  that  since  moon- 
light was  reflected  sunlight,  the  only  thing  that  could  come  in  would  be 
the  earth.    All  pupils  saw  that  if  the  earth  came  in  between  the  sun  and 

[13] 


the  moon,  the  earth's  shadow  would  be  cast  on  the  face  of  the  moon, 
and  would  cause  an  eclipse. 

This  would  account  for  the  eclipse  of  the  moon.  "But  what  about 
the  eclipse  of  the  sun?"  Here  we  had  to  derive  another  general  state- 
ment, and  prove  it  in  order  to  make  it  applicable  as  a  criterion  for  our 
recitation.  Three  pupils  stated  as  follows:  "Well,  now,  if  the  earth  had 
to  come  in  between  the  sun  and  the  moon  in  order  to  have  an  eclipse 
of  the  moon,  something  must  come  in  between  the  sun  and  the  earth,  in 
order  to  have  an  eclipse  of  the  sun."  "Can  the  moon  come  in?"  asked 
the  instructor.  It  was  plainly  to  be  seen  that  if  the  moon  came  in  be- 
tween the  sun  and  the  earth  that  a  section  of  the  sun's  surface  would  be 
shut  off,  and  there  would  result  an  eclipse  of  the  sun.  In  this  manner 
we  derived  the  following  criteria  for  judging  whether  or  not  the  diagram 
made  by  the  pupil  was  correct: 

A.  An  eclipse  of  the  moon  will  result  when  the  earth  comes  in  be- 

tween the  moon  and  the  sun  and  casts  its  shadow  on  the  moon. 
This  eclipse  will  take  place  only  when  they  are  all  in  a  straight 
line. 

B.  An  eclipse  of  the  sun  will  result  when  the  moon  comes  in  be- 

tween the  sun  and  earth,  and  shuts  off  a  part  of  the  sun's 
surface  from  view.    This  will  take  place  only  when  they  are 
all  in  a  straight  line. 
We  applied  the  two  criteria  to  Diagram  I,  and  found  that  the  earth 
will  come  in  between  the  sun  and  moon,  and  that  if  the  three  bodies  are 
in  a  straight  line,  an  eclipse  of  the  moon  will  result.   The  diagram  satis- 
fied the  criterion  for  the  eclipse  of  the  moon.   Next  we  tried  to  find  out 
whether  or  not  there  could  be  an  eclipse  of  the  sun.   On  examining  the 
diagram  we  found  that  the  moon  could  never  come  in  between  the  sun 
and  the  earth.     It  was  evident  that  the  diagram  could  not  satisfy  the 
criterion  for  the  eclipse  of  the  sun. 

The  next  question  was:  "What  rearrangement  can  we  make  in 
this  diagram  so  that  the  moon  will  come  in  between  the  other  two  bodies 
and  cause  an  eclipse  of  the  sun?"  One  pupil  stated  that  the  orbit  of 
the  moon  should  be  inside  of  the  earth's  orbit.  This  pupil  made  a 
diagram  on  the  blackboard  expressing  his  idea  of  the  relationship  be- 
tween the  three  bodies.  His  diagram  is  essentially  the  same  as  Diagram 
I,  except  that  the  orbit  of  the  moon  is  inside  of  the  earth's  orbit  (by  in- 
side is  meant  the  side  nearest  to  the  sun). 


[14] 


DIAGRAM  II 


orbit /    /r  \<\L_ea.r*A 


Or  bi  t  - 


Once  more  we  applied  criterion  A,  this  time  to  the  second  diagram, 
to  see  whether  or  not  the  earth  will  come  in  between  the  sun  and  the 
moon  and  cause  an  eclipse  of  the  moon.  On  examining  the  diagram  we 
found  that  the  earth  would  never  come  in  between  the  other  two  bodies 
and  cause  an  eclipse  of  the  moon.  Next  we  tried  to  find  out  whether 
or  not  the  moon  would  come  in  between  the  earth  and  the  sun,  and 
cause  an  eclipse  of  the  sun. 

On  examining  the  diagram  we  found  that  the  moon  would  come  in 
between  the  earth  and  the  sun  as  its  orbit  was  inside  that  of  the  earth's 
orbit.  The  second  diagram  would  meet  the  criterion  for  the  eclipse  of 
the  sun,  but  would  not  meet  the  criterion  for  the  eclipse  of  the  moon. 
Consequently  we  had  to  abandon  this  diagram  and  look  for  something 
better — one  which  would  satisfy  both  of  the  criteria. 

The  teacher  asked  the  following  question:  "How  can  we  combine 
these  two  diagrams  in  such  a  way  as  to  meet  both  of  the  criteria?"  For 
a  while  there  was  thoughtful  silence,  then  one  pupil  stated  that  the 
moon's  orbit  was  not  around  the  orbit  of  the  earth,  but  around  the  earth 
itself.  This  pupil  made  a  new  diagram  on  the  blackboard.  He  located 
the  sun  in  the  center  of  the  diagram,  the  orbit  of  the  earth  around  the 
sun,  and  the  orbit  of  the  moon  around  the  earth  itself  instead  of  around 
the  orbit  of  the  earth  as  in  the  two  previous  diagrams.  We  analyzed 
this  new  diagram  to  see  if  it  would  meet  the  two  criteria  previously 
worked  out. 

DIAGRAM  III 


-Ynoo-n'^      Of  Lit 

-earth  is      or  Lit 


[IS] 


We  found  that  the  earth  would  come  in  between  the  sun  and  the 
moon,  and  cause  an  eclipse  of  the  moon.  This  met  one  of  the  criteria. 
Next  we  tried  to  see  whether  or  not  the  moon  would  come  in  between 
the  earth  and  the  sun,  and  cause  an  eclipse  of  the  sun.  We  found  that 
it  would.  This  satisfied  the  second  criterion.  Of  the  three  diagrams  this 
was  the  only  one  that  would  meet  the  given  conditions. 

We  had  developed  a  diagram  showing  the  location,  arrangement, 
and  relation  to  one  another  of  the  three  bodies.  WTe  also  had  developed 
an  explanation  for  the  eclipse  of  the  moon  and  the  sun,  not  from  a  dia- 
gram as  worked  out  by  some  one  else,  but  by  combining  our  common 
experiences  and  common  sense. 

There  remained  some  other  questions  to  be  answered.  One  of 
these  questions  was:  "What  must  be  the  circumference  of  the  earth's 
orbit?"  WTe  found  in  Diagram  III  that  the  earth's  orbit  was  around 
the  sun.  One  pupil  asked:  "What  happens  when  the  earth  has  made  a 
complete  journey  around  the  sun  on  its  orbit?"  One  pupil  stated  that 
when  the  earth  makes  a  complete  trip  around  its  orbit  that  it  means 
the  completion  of  a  year.  Reversing  the  question  it  would  mean  that 
it  took  the  earth  exactly  a  year  to  make  a  complete  journey  around  the 
sun.  One  pupil  stated  that  it  was  not  true,  as  some  years  had  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  days,  and  that  every  fourth  year  had  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six  days.  There  was  silence  for  a  moment,  then  one 
pupil  stated  that  it  took  more  than  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days 
for  the  earth  to  make  a  complete  journey  around  its  orbit.  One  pupil 
stated  that  perhaps  it  took  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days  and  six 
hours  for  the  earth  to  make  a  complete  round  trip.  These  six  hours 
were  not  counted  until  the  fourth  year  when  a  whole  day  was  added  to 
the  year.  This  sounded  reasonable,  and  so  we  accepted  that  as  a  final 
statement.  Still  the  question  asked  at  the  beginning  of  the  paragraph 
remained  to  be  answered.  One  pupil  suggested  that  if  we  knew  at  what 
rate  the  earth  traveled  on  its  orbit  we  could  calculate  the  circumference 
of  the  orbit.  The  teacher  had  to  supply  them  with  the  necessary  infor- 
mation that  the  earth  traveled  at  the  rate  of  about  18.5  miles  per  sec- 
ond. One  pupil  stated  that  we  must  know,  in  addition  to  the  rate  of 
travel,  the  number  of  seconds  that  there  are  in  any  given  year.  We 
assumed  that  it  took  the  earth  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days  and 
six  hours  to  make  a  complete  journey  around  its  orbit.  Using  that  data 
we  found  that  the  circumference  of  the  earth's  orbit  was  about 
600,000,000  miles. 

In  addition  to  basing  the  recitation  on  the  experience  of  the  pupils, 
there  was  plenty  of  opportunity  given  for  them  to  express  themselves 
on  any  phase  of  the  subject. 

[16] 


At  the  end  of  the  period  each  pupil  felt  that  he  or  she  had  con- 
tributed something  toward  the  completion  of  the  lesson.  The  teacher, 
during  the  whole  recitation,  led  the  class  to  discover  the  right  answer 
by  suggestions  or  criticisms  of  their  reasoning. 


L  17  1 


AN  EXPERIMENT  IN  THE  TEACHING  OF 
ENGLISH  LITERATURE 

LlESETTE   J.   McHARRY 

At  University  High  School  it  has  been  our  happy  privilege  to  de- 
velop and  try  out  a  type  of  individual  instruction  adapted  to  our  own 
needs  in  the  teaching  of  English  composition  in  the  tenth  grade.  We 
have  planned  a  course  of  study  which  is  made  up  of  a  number  of  prob- 
lems in  rhetoric  stated  in  very  simple  outline  form.  Each  problem  de- 
mands the  mastery  of  certain  essentials  by  all  students;  and,  in  addition, 
it  suggests  somewhat  intensive  study  of  related  subject  matter  by  the 
more  capable  students.  The  course  of  study  also  includes  lists  of  books 
for  supplementary  reading.  These  are  all  suited  to  the  interests  of  tenth 
grade  students,  but  are  of  various  degrees  of  difficulty.  The  outcomes 
of  this  experiment  have  been  sufficiently  gratifying  to  justify  further  ef- 
forts in  the  same  direction. 

At  present  we  are  launching  an  experiment  in  individual  instruction 
in  one  section  of  our  eleventh  grade  English,  which  is  a  survey  of  Eng- 
lish literature,  following  Miss  Rich's  text,  A  Study  of  the  Types  of  Liter- 
ature.1 For  those  who  are  not  familiar  with  this  text,  we  may  explain 
that  Miss  Rich  has  based  her  survey  upon  the  outline  of  the  types  of 
literature,  traced  from  their  origins,  rather  than  upon  the  more  fre- 
quently used  chronology  of  literature.  She  has  defined  each  type,  has 
given  early  and  late  specimens  of  each,  and  has  added  a  comprehensive 
list  for  supplementary  reading  in  each.  The  wealth  of  material  in  such 
a  course  makes  the  problem  of  the  capable  student  a  real  one.  He  must 
have  an  opportunity  to  read  widely  while  the  slow  student  is  drilling 
upon  essentials.  We  have  attempted  to  give  him  this  opportunity  by 
adapting  the  individual  method  of  instruction  to  Miss  Rich's  text. 

We  have  divided  the  subject  matter  of  the  semester  into  units  with 
a  time  limit  of  one  week  upon  each.  At  the  beginning  of  each  week, 
we  give  the  students  a  sheet  of  directions  to  guide  them  in  the  study  of 
one  unit.  This  sheet  includes  a  definite  statement  of  aims,  a  plan  for 
review,  an  assignment  for  class  discussion,  a  list  of  references  for  study, 
suggestions  for  reading  and  memorizing,  and  topics  for  original  written 
work.  We  require  the  students  to  keep  notebooks  in  which  they  record 
notes  upon  their  reading,  outlines,  original  papers,  and  other  materials. 


^ich,  Mabel  Irene.    A  Study  of  the  Types  of  Literature.    New  York:  The  Cen- 
tury Company,  1925. 

[18] 


In  requiring  the  notebooks,  we  hope  to  give  an  incentive  for  the  devel- 
opment of  individual  interests.  Some  of  the  notebooks  tend  to  become 
scrap  books,  reflecting  literary  tastes  to  be  developed. 

There  is  no  fixed  rule  by  which  the  students  must  complete  a  unit 
of  work.  Usually,  however,  we  use  the  first  four  periods  of  the  week  as 
laboratory  hours  in  which  the  students  read,  study,  write  papers,  pre- 
pare reports,  and  write  up  their  notebooks.  The  teacher  is  present  to 
direct  the  activities  of  all  and  to  give  help  at  the  time  it  is  needed.  The 
class  period  on  Friday  is  utilized  for  class  discussion.  The  students  give 
oral  reports  and  reviews  before  the  class  at  convenient  times,  occasion- 
ally at  the  beginning  or  end  of  laboratory  hours.  Each  one  studies  out- 
side of  the  classroom  just  as  much  as  his  individual  needs  demand.  He 
knows  that  he  must  complete  the  study  of  his  unit  and  have  his  note- 
book as  complete  as  he  wishes  to  make  it  when  he  comes  to  the  class- 
room on  Friday. 

Our  plan  is  to  give  formal  written  tests  at  the  end  of  each  division 
of  subject  matter.  For  instance:  a  test  follows  our  study  of  the  four- 
week  units  of  the  modern  drama.  Then,  too,  we  use  a  part  of  each  dis- 
cussion hour  for  review  and  testing;  and  occasionally  we  have  a  ten 
minute  oral  test  at  the  beginning  of  a  laboratory  hour. 

No  more  detailed  description  of  the  method  is  possible  at  this  time, 
for  it  is  yet  in  the  process  of  growth.  We  are  able  to  offer  no  informa- 
tion as  to  the  values  of  the  method  except  to  say  that  the  students  are 
interested  and  are  wasting  little  time  in  the  classroom.  We  hope  to 
make  a  more  complete  report  at  a  later  time.  The  following  copies  of 
a  few  of  the  direction  sheets  which  we  give  to  the  students  may  be  of 
interest  to  the  readers. 

ENGLISH  III— SECOND  SEMESTER,  1925-26 
FIRST  WEEK 

I.  Aims 

1.  To  trace  the  life  of  the  English  drama  from  the  time  of  Shakespeare  to  the 

nineteenth  century. 

2.  To  appreciate  the  dramas  of  Goldsmith  and  Sheridan. 

II.  Review 

Summarize  in  a  few  definite  statements  the  merits  of  Shakespeare  that  brought 
the  English  drama  to  its  greatest  height. 
Long:  p.  87-1002 
Long:  p.  153-54 
Halleck:  p.  190-993 


2Long,  William  J.     English  Literature.     Chicago:  Ginn  and  Company,  1909. 
3Halleck,  Reuben   Post.     English  Literature.     Chicago:    American   Book  Com- 
pany, 1913. 

[19] 


III.  Class  Discussion 

1.  Make  a  survey  of  the  rise  and  decline  of  the  English  drama  according  to  Miss 

Rich's  chronological  table. 

2.  Xote  the  turn  for  the  better  under  Goldsmith  and  Sheridan  in  the  eighteenth 

century. 

3.  Report  upon  presentations  of  these  plays  that  you  have  seen. 

4.  Read  and  comment  upon  interesting  bits  from  the  plays. 

IV.  Study 

1.  General  Survev 

Rich:  p.  280-83 

2.  The  history  of  the  decline  of  the  English  drama  and  the  conditions  causing  the 

decline  in  each  period. 

(a)  Elizabethan  Age 

Long:  p.  156-57 

(b)  Puritan  Age 

Long:  p.  210-11 

(c)  Restoration  Age 

Long:  p.  246-47 

Garnett  and  Gosse:  III,  p.  99-103* 

(d)  Eighteenth  Century 

Long  (Revised):  p.  178-795 

3.  Goldsmith  and  Sheridan  (Individual  reports) 

V.  Reading  (optional) 

1.  One  or  more  of  the  plays  of  the  eighteenth  century  (see  list — Rich:   p.  282) 

2.  Goldsmith's  Deserted  Village  (memorize  a  few  lines) 

VI.  Written  Paper 

1.  Imagine  yourself  to  be  Shakespeare.    Comment  upon  the  Puritan  Age. 

2.  An  original  bit  of  dialogue  featuring  Mrs.  Malaprop. 

Hand  in  notebooks. 

SECOND  WEEK 

I.  Aims 

1.  To  study  the  mask  and  the  monologue  as  dramatic  forms. 

2.  To  appreciate  their  scope  and  limitations. 

II.  Review 

1.  Why  have  the  plays  of  Goldsmith  and  Sheridan  lived  until  now? 

2.  What  do  you  know  about  Mrs.  Insult's  work  in  the  School  for  Scandal? 

III.  Study 

1.  The  mask 

Rich:  p.  283-84 
Long:  p.  210-11 

2.  The  monologue 

Rich:  p.  313 

Long  (Revised)  p.  275-76 


4Garxett  and  Gosse.  An  Illustrated  History  of  English  Literature.  New  York: 
The  Macmillan  Company,  1923. 

5Long,  William  J.  Outlines  of  English  Literature,  with  Readings.  Chicago:  Ginn 
and  Company,  1925. 

[20] 


IV.  Reading 

1.  Milton's  Comus 

(a)  What  is  the  main  theme? 

(b)  If  the  mask  were  presented  on  the   stage,   wherein  would  it  be 

effective  ? 

(c)  Study  characters  and  atmosphere. 

(d)  Use  Miss  Rich's  questions. 

2.  Jonson's  Sad  Shepherd  (optional) 

3.  MacKaye's  Caliban  by  the  Yellow  Sands  (optional) 

4.  Browning's  My  Last  Duchess 

(a)  Who  is  the  speaker? 

(b)  What  is  his  dominant  trait? 

(c)  What  does  he  wish? 

(d)  What  do  you  learn  about  the  last  duchess? 

V.  Oral  Discussion 

1.  Influences  of  Jonson  and  Milton  on  the  English  drama. 

2.  Characteristics  of  Browning  as  a  writer. 

3.  Comus  as  a  mask. 

4.  My  Last  Duchess  as  a  monologue. 

VI.  Written  Paper 

A  ten  line  imitation  of  Browning's  monologue. 

A  comment  upon  any  reading  you  have  done  during  the  week. 

Hand  in  notebooks. 


[21] 


TIMED  TESTS  AS  A  METHOD  OF  DRILL  IN  ALGEBRA 

S.  Helen  Taylor 

To  develop  particular  skills  in  first-year  algebra  in  working  with 
linear  equations,  simple  fractional  equations,  special  products,  factoring, 
as  well  as  with  the  fundamental  operations,  I  have  found  that  very 
short  timed  tests  have  most  of  the  desirable  features  of  a  successful  drill 
exercise.  A  timed  test  should  consist  of  a  list  of  exercises  which  require 
skills  of  one  particular  type,  graded  carefully  from  very  easy  ones  to 
slightly  more  difficult  ones.  After  such  a  list  is  placed  on  the  black- 
board, the  pupils  begin  to  work,  doing  as  much  as  possible  in  ten  min- 
utes.   The  list  should  be  too  long  to  be  completed  by  the  best  pupils. 

The  papers  are  checked  before  the  next  day  and  on  each  paper  a 
note  is  made  of  the  types  of  errors  responsible  for  the  mistakes,  so  that 
each  pupil  may  try  to  eliminate  these  errors.  Two  or  three  days  later, 
a  similar  though  usually  a  longer  or  more  difficult  timed  test  on  the 
same  topic  is  given.  In  such  tests  the  papers  are  always  scored  for  the 
number  of  exercises  correctly  done,  that  is,  a  paper  with  ten  absolutely 
correct  answers  scores  10,  seven  correct  scores  7,  and  so  forth.  No 
credit  is  given  here  for  an  exercise  in  which  some  terms  of  the  answer 
are  correct,  or  for  an  incorrect  answer  where  the  work  shows  knowledge 
of  method,  although  in  other  types  of  written  work  and  tests  liberal 
credit  may  be  given  for  correct  method. 

The  results  of  each  test  are  graphed  and  when  two  or  three  timed 
tests  are  given  over  one  division  of  subject-matter,  the  results  are 
graphed  on  the  same  sheet  and  then  posted  on  the  bulletin  board  where 
the  pupils  may  study  the  results.  Each  pupil  learns  to  read  from  the 
graph  his  rank  in  the  class,  how  his  rank  compares  with  the  average 
or  median,  and  how  his  ranking  in  a  second  test  compares  with  his  first 
ranking.  In  this  way  the  graph  informs  the  pupil  of  his  progress.  The 
teacher  can,  by  individual  comment,  suggest  to  a  pupil  the  level  she 
expects  him  to  attain  in  subsequent  work. 

In  each  time  test  the  specific  aim,  as  already  stated,  is  to  develop 
a  particular  manipulative  skill  or  to  emphasize  a  particular  simple  math- 
ematical principle.  Such  tests  also  give  training  in  certain  general  atti- 
tudes and  habits.  The  pupil  is  encouraged  to  be  accurate  in  all  work,  to 
verify  results  quickly,  to  sustain  attention,  and  to  work  at  his  maximum 
speed.    This  type  of  test  used  on  a  certain  list  of  topics  where  manipu- 


[22] 


lation  is  an  essential  detail,  and  used  at  least  twice  in  connection  with 
each  of  seven  or  eight  topics  during  the  year  is  novel  and  interesting 
enough  to  be  a  real  challenge  to  both  the  able  but  careless  pupil  and  to 
the  mediocre  pupil.  In  each  class  the  first  use  of  a  timed  test  has 
brought  to  light  an  unexpected  ability  in  certain  lazy  or  disinterested 
pupils. 

In  the  first-year  algebra  class  we  are  using  Nyberg's1  book  as  a 
text.  The  arrangement  of  topics  in  this  book  is  different  from  that  of 
most  texts.  Fractional  equations  with  monomial  denominators  come  dur- 
ing the  first  semester  at  about  the  twelfth  week,  before  other  work  in 
fractions  is  considered  and  before  any  factoring  is  treated.  Consider- 
able drill  is  necessary  if  ninth  grade  pupils,  so  early  in  the  course,  are  to 
attain  skill  in  choosing  a  lowest  common  multiple  of  the  denominators 
and  clear  the  equation  of  fractions  by  multiplying  each  member  by  this 
lowest  common  multiple.  The  two  timed  tests  used  are  inserted  here. 
They  were  given  with  one  day  intervening  for  corrections  and  discus- 
sion in  class. 


FIRST  TIMED  TEST— FRACTIONAL  EQUATIONS 

Time — Ten  Minutes 


1. 

*  =  5 
3 

6. 

X           X 

3  ~  5  = 

11. 

a 
5 

a 

--  =  -  2 
3 

2. 

X 

5  =  4 

7. 

2x       x 
1 —  =  11 

3        4 

12. 

X 

3 

+|--io 

3. 

x       20 

4  ~  y 

8. 

2x       x 

y  ~  2  ~  ~ 

1 

13. 

X 

2 

-  20  =  3 

4. 

X          X 

2  +  3  = 

5 

9. 

X           X 

x  +  -+-  = 
2       3 

11 

14. 

X 

9 

-4  =  1 

5. 

X           X 

5+i  + 

X 

2  = 

19 

10. 

X 

2x  -  -  =  10 

3 

15. 

y 

5 

5 

^yberg,  Joseph  A.     First  Course  in  Algebra.    New  York:  American  Book  Com- 
pany, 1924. 

[23] 


SECOND  TIMED  TEST— FRACTIONAL  EQUATIONS 

Given  two  days  later 
Time — Ten  Minutes 


•H 

8. 

12x  --  =  69 

2 

15. 

X 

x  =  -  10 

11 

2-H 

9. 

c 

16. 

2a   3a    a 

if- 

10. 

n 

-  +  n  =  9 

17. 

5x   2x   x 

X 

4'5  =  -5 

11. 

2x 

1=2 

7 

18. 

x   2 

__  -  +  x  =  17 
/   3 

*f-i- 

5 

12. 

V    V 

-  +  -  +  y  =  1 1 
2   3 

19. 

x  +  3      x 

2   =5   5 

6.-X  =  I 

4   3 

13. 

3x  +  5   15x  -  1 
2        8 

20. 

r  2  =  a  —  . 

?  x_+3  _ 
2 

1 

14. 

X    X 

7-5=-4 

The  way  in  which  the  tests  were  set  up  is  a  question  which  will 
probably  occur  to  the  reader.  The  choice  of  exercises  and  the  method 
of  grading  them  according  to  difficulties  is  the  result  of  previous  experi- 
ence and  judgment  just  as  any  list  of  drill  or  test  questions  must  be. 
However,  in  setting  up  timed  tests  I  have  based  the  grading  of  the  exer- 
cises on  some  definitely  recorded  lists  of  pupil  difficulties  from  four 
classes.  In  the  first  test  on  fractions,  exercises  1,  3,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9  repre- 
sent separate  and  definite  steps  in  a  scale  of  difficulty.  In  1,  the  pupil 
multiplies  by  the  single  denominator  factor;  in  3.  by  the  lowest  common 
multiple  of  the  two  denominators;  in  5.  there  are  three  denominators  to 
consider;  in  6,  the  minus  sign  must  be  thought  of;  in  7,  a  coefficient 
different  from  one  occurs;  in  8,  the  right  member  is  a  negative  con- 
stant; and  in  9,  one  term  involving  x  has  the  denominator  unity.  The 
degree  of  difficulty  of  these  exercises  had  been  checked  in  four  previous 
years'  classes  and  the  assigned  order  resulted  from  this  check.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  first  test,  exercise  2  is  of  the  same  type  as  1,  4  is  no 
more  difficult  than  3,  and  this  repetition  tends  to  give  the  pupil  a  better 
beginning  and  hence  confidence  in  his  ability.  In  the  second  test  addi- 
tional difficulties  occur  but  this  list  begins  with  a  greater  repetition  of 
the  simplest  type  of  exercise  than  did  the  first  test.     The  simplicity  of 


24] 


the  first  part  of  the  test  serves  to  balance  the  test,  and  aids  in  overcom- 
ing later  difficulties. 

The  scores  in  these  two  tests  are  given  in  the  following  table. 

SCORES  OF  THE  MEMBERS  OF  A  CLASS  ON  TWO  TIMED  TESTS 


Pupil 

1st  Score 

2nd  Score 

Pupil 

1st  Score 

2nd  Score 

A 

13 

17 

M 

14 

19 

B 

9 

12 

N 

13 

15 

C 

4 

11 

0 

9 

10 

D 

10 

11 

P 

0 

2 

E 

12 

14 

Q 

15 

17 

F 

2 

2 

R 

11 

14 

G 

4 

6 

S 

13 

15 

H 

8 

10 

T 

13 

18 

I 

11 

13 

U 

9 

15 

I 

6 

9 

V 

7 

12 

K 

7 

14 

W 

5 

11 

L 

12 

13 

Average 

9 

12.17 

Median 

9 

13 

The  graph  shows  the  results  of  these  two  tests  and  was  placed  on 
the  classroom  bulletin  board  the  day  after  the  second  test.  The  boy 
whose  score  is  given  opposite  N  had  been  rated  as  an  average  or  C 
pupil  (our  grades  are  A,  B,  C,  D  for  passing  grades,  and  E  for  failure). 


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[25] 


In  both  these  tests  the  boy  N  did  more  exercises  than  the  average  of 
the  class  did,  so  from  that  time  the  teacher  took  careful  notice  of  his 
work  and  discovered  that  he  was  able  enough,  inclined  to  be  lazy,  but 
was  responsive  to  the  spur  of  group  competition.  L,  a  girl,  likewise 
had  a  low  standing,  a  grade  of  D,  for  the  first  six  weeks.  As  she  was 
well  above  the  average  in  the  timed  test,  it  was  possible  to  keep  her  at 
a  C  standing  which  later  seemed  to  be  her  maximum  level.  The  better 
pupils  who,  by  other  tests,  ranked  in  the  upper  fourth  of  the  class, 
without  exception  kept  within  this  range  with  only  slight  interchanges 
of  order.  The  surprises  usually  come  from  the  so-called  mediocre  pu- 
pils, from  which  group  two  or  three  do  excellent  and  accurate  work  in 
a  timed  test. 

I  have  used  successfully  in  drills  similar  to  these,  two  test  exer- 
cises in  division  of  polynomials  by  monomials,  two  tests  in  special  pro- 
ducts, and  six  tests  in  successive  types  of  factoring,  ending  with  two 
drill  tests  in  miscellaneous  factoring  exercises.  The  scoring  and  the 
graphing  of  results  for  use  on  the  classroom  bulletin  board  is  very 
simple  and  requires  little  time.  These  tests  are  quite  a  favorite  type 
with  ninth  year  pupils.  Timed  tests,  not  too  frequently  given,  offer  the 
most  advantages  and  the  fewest  disadvantages  of  any  type  of  written 
drill  I  have  used. 


[26] 


A  MATHEMATICS  ASSEMBLY1 

Anne  Thomsen 

In  planning  our  mathematics  assembly,  the  problem  that  seemed 
most  important  was  that  of  making  our  program  interesting  to  all  of 
the  people  in  our  greatly  varied  audience.    To  solve  this  problem,  the 
people  who  presented  papers  were  chosen  from  the  beginning  as  well 
as  the  advanced  classes;  care  was  taken  in  the  selection  of  material; 
diagrams  and  blackboard  demonstrations  were  used  to  aid  the  explana- 
tions; and  finally,  whenever  it  was  possible,  the  people  in  the  audience 
were  given  an  opportunity  to  take  part  in  the  development  of  a  topic. 
Our  program  consisted  of  the  following  numbers: 
"Great  women  mathematicians" 
"The  origin  of  our  numerals". 
"How  to  build  a  magic  square" 
"Short  cuts  to  multiplication" 
"Puzzling  problems" 
I  shall  elaborate  on  a  few  of  these  topics  to  illustrate  several  meth- 
ods that  were  used  to  encourage  the  listeners  to  become  active  partici- 
pants. 

A  tiny  freshman  girl  gave  the  first  talk  on  "Great  women  mathe- 
maticians." She  related  a  number  of  humorous  incidents  from  the  lives 
of  these  mathematicians  and  supplied  just  enough  historical  facts  to 
bring  out  the  chronological  order  of  her  general  plan.  The  technical 
works  of  these  women  were  mentioned  only  to  amuse  the  audience  with 
their  lengthy  foreign  titles. 


Assemblies  at  the  University  Hieh  School  are  held,  on  an  average,  once  a  week. 
A  committee  from  the  high  school  staff  has  charge  of  the  programs.  The  purpose 
throughout  the  year  is  to  correlate  outside  things  with  the  work  of  the  school,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  contribute  to  interest,  pleasure  and  knowledge.  To  this  end,  pupils 
from  the  school,  members  of  the  staff  and  persons  having  no  connection  with  the  school, 
appear  on  the  programs.  Pupils  from  the  classes  in  a  department  or  from  a  single 
class  in  it  sometimes  furnish  the  program.  As  an  example,  two  or  three  years  ago  the 
general  science  class  explained  the  heating  and  ventilating  system  of  our  building  and 
asked  for  cooperation  for  its  proper  use.  One  of  the  teachers  or  supervisors  may  relate 
something  of  interest  and  value  from  his  experiences  or  particular  interests.  Persons 
from  the  University  and  Twin  Cities  frequently  present  vivid  and  interesting  accounts 
of  their  travels,  professions  or  avocations.  Moving  picture  films,  primarily  educational, 
are  used  several  times  a  semester.  By  virtue  of  the  variety  of  the  programs,  their  ex- 
cellence, due  to  capable  contributors,  and  their  application  to  many  features  of  school 
work,  our  assembly  programs  have  been  very  favorably  received. 


[27] 


A  sophomore  girl  gave  a  bit  of  the  history  of  magic  squares  and 
explained  the  rules  for  building  such  figures.  After  a  clear  demonstra- 
tion of  the  details  of  the  process  on  the  blackboard,  she  induced  the 
audience  to  help  her  put  the  numbers  in  a  square  of  different  order. 
The  chorus  of  answers  to  her  questions  gave  evidence  of  the  fact  that 
the  audience  had  caught  the  spirit  of  the  game. 

A  boy,  with  a  natural  aptitude  for  high  speed,  demonstrated  a  num- 
ber of  short  methods  of  multiplication  and  then  volunteered  to  do  cer- 
tain types  of  examples  suggested  to  him  by  anyone  in  the  audience.  In 
order  to  test  the  superiority  of  his  methods,  he  challenged  everyone 
present  to  work  the  same  examples  more  quickly  than  he  could.  After 
some  exciting  competition  he  gave  a  little  insight  into  the  methods  he 
had  employed;  but  when  the  hour  ended,  he  was  besieged  by  a  group 
of  boys  who  were  eager  to  learn  more  about  the  mysteries  they  had 
witnessed. 

The  last  speaker  called  upon  individuals  to  give  approximate  solu- 
tions of  the  problems  which  he  presented.  Estimates  of  the  weight  of 
a  cork  ball  six  feet  in  diameter  ranged  from  two  to  thirty  pounds.  All 
were  astonished  to  find  out  that  it  would  weigh  over  seventeen  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds.  In  the  second  problem,  he  asked  the  audience  to 
imagine  that  the  equator  was  a  steel  band  around  the  earth.  He  then 
requested  them  to  guess  how  far  the  equator  would  be  uniformly  raised 
from  the  surface  of  the  earth  by  the  addition  of  twenty-two  feet  to  the 
length  of  the  equator.  Some  answers  were  as  low  as  one  thousandth  of 
an  inch  while  no  one  was  inclined  to  believe  that  the  true  answer  was 
approximately  three  and  one-half  feet.  The  number  of  times  that  a 
coin  turns  about  its  own  center  while  it  makes  one  complete  revolution 
about  another  coin  started  some  experimentation  with  bewildering  re- 
sults. Great  merriment  accompanied  the  request  that  each  person  in 
the  audience  approximate  his  own  volume  in  cubic  feet.  It  was  sur- 
prising to  find  that  some  freshmen  had  a  volume  of  less  than  one  and 
one-half  cubic  feet.  The  old  problem  of  comparing  simple  and  com- 
pound interest  on  one  dollar  from  the  year  1  A.  D.  up  to  the  present 
time  gave  rise  to  marked  speculation  among  future  financiers. 

We  felt  that  we  had  accomplished  our  aim,  that  of  arousing  interest, 
mostly  by  doing  away  with  the  customary  formality  of  a  mathematics 
program.  When  the  bell  rang,  no  one  had  enjoyed  the  hour  more  than 
the  people  who  at  one  time  dubbed  themselves  unlucky  in  that  it  was 
their  lot  to  appear  on  the  program. 


[28] 


